Sticky Clones in the Jungle
by LongLiveTheClones
Summary: Commander Gree and the 41st Elite are held captive in a large metal cage in the midst of a Separatist encampment. Barriss Offee comes to the rescue. They fight their way free through a perilous jungle of mud, rain and, uh... sticky things. Cover art by gloryblaz.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Having a bad day? This story was written for a friend who said her day could be going better. I intended it to be "fluff," but it actually came out more as "muddy" and "sticky" than "fluffy." Still, as the esteemed Yoda would say, "Intellectual reading, this is not." So, lean back on your gimer stick, grab an extra large piece of uj cake, and enjoy._

**Naked Clones in the Jungle  
>Part 1<strong>

The heat was oppressive. Choking. It felt like a living, breathing thing. It was almost as if it was trying to strangle the life out of those in its grip.

Gree tried to hang on. Wanted to hang on. But, the heat. He wasn't sure he could stand much more.

Barriss rushed through the jungle in search of the missing clones. She was alone in what seemed like an impossible task.

_I am a Healer Jedi, yes, but I am also a warrior. I can do this. I can find them._

The sun was merciless. Gree would have given anything for shade. He started fantasizing about lying beneath the lush ample branches of a shady tree. He closed his eyes and visualized the endless forests on the planet Dinlo.

_Actually, there were some gigantic holes in that forest now._

He sighed, and opened his eyes to the punishing light again, preferring not to think of the sorry state in which they'd left the beautiful forested world. It was easier to let his eyes blur and defocus, rather than let the battle memories start taking over.

Barriss stopped and closed her eyes.

_Which direction now? _

She tuned in to the living Force, looking for guidance and direction.

Gree missed his armor. He tried to remember what it felt like to be in his temperature-controlled suit, and not be hot or cold. But, right now he was so uncomfortable that he simply could not relate to that sensation. As much as they roasted during the day, they froze at night. They were forced to curl up together to share body heat.

Gree sighed. He glanced down briefly at his sunburnt, naked skin. He didn't have any issues with having to lie completely nude around so many of his others brothers.

It wasn't like they had any choice in the matter, since their captors had stripped them of all their gear. It was a survival technique taught they all learned in training.

But, their sun-damaged skin was so painful to the touch it was intensely uncomfortable to be sandwiched between two brothers.

On the second night, he'd volunteered to be one of the brothers "on the end," just to avoid the misery of having his skin scraped and rubbed all night long as they huddled for body heat.

He could barely move the next morning from exposure to the cold, but the numbness had relieved the heat on his skin for a few blissful hours. The relief didn't last long, though. All too soon, the sun had risen to its' full zenith in a maddeningly, cloudless sky.

He raised his head and looked around at his men. They didn't seem to be faring much better. Even with their tough, natural composition, their bodies couldn't take much more.

Gree was starting to lose track of how long it had been since they'd been captured. Everything was beginning to blur together in a haze of blistering days and freezing nights. He dimly remembered a battle in which they were horrifically outmatched, and droids seemed to swarm over the 41st Elite like a hive of Fefze. He shivered, despite the heat, remembering wave after wave of green-striped armor falling beneath their onslaught.

Then, surprisingly, the droids switched from red blast bolts to blue stun charges.

_For what reason could they possibly want us alive?_

Gree stared around at the grim faces of his brothers, and knew what they were thinking. His brothers that had taken the red bolts were the lucky ones. Whatever the Separatists had planned for them would be a fate far worse than dying of a blaster wound.

_Maybe we'll be used as human shields_.

He swallowed, trying to reveal the burning dryness in his throat. He gave up with a gasping cough.

He stared around at the surviving members of the 41st Elite baking in the same metal pen where he was confined. Row after row of dark haired clone sat huddled on the ground, or lying on the dry, hard-packed earth. Even without meaning to, his men were automatically lying about in some kind of orderly fashion, neat rows, just from a lifetime of habit. Gree's exhausted eyes scanned his men once again and did another headcount. He wasn't sure whether he should be elated, or disheartened. Hundreds of them had survived.

_The whole human shields thing won't work._

_To discourage further use of that little stunt, clone commanders and Jedi alike had agreed there could be no more attempted rescue of clones being used as human shields. _

_At the time of that meeting, I'd thought I'd feel differently if I was one of the ones being used as such a shield, but a quick air strike would come as a relief right now. _

_Unless I'm not being held as a shield, and they have something else in mind…_

Gree decided to shut down his mind, and go back to just staring out aimlessly at the merciless heat.

Barriss wasn't getting anywhere asking the Force to tell her the location of the missing clones. So, she decided to try a different approach. She took several deep breaths, and reached out to the tough, no nonsense clone commander who'd taken her under his wing when she and her Master had begun working with the 41st Elite.

Gree collapsed. Exhaustion, dehydration, and fatigue finally won out and his battered body slid back onto the hard, cracked dirt of the metal cage. He let his dry, gritty eyes slide shut. Dying wouldn't be so bad.

_Gree!_

The red-haired clone's eyes snapped open, with a painful scraping against his fluid-deprived cornea. He looked around in confusion.

- Commander Offee?

Gree pushed himself up to one elbow. He knew that voice that had spoken so clearly into his mind. It was the same sweet voice that would heal him in the infirmary each time he was injured. With a great effort, he forced himself to a sitting position. 

_I'm coming for you._

Gree closed his eyes briefly, as the voice washed through his mind again. It felt like the sip of cool water that he was craving so intently. He wished it would come back again, but just as briefly as it had been there, it was gone again. He wished he knew how to respond. After a long moment of trying to savor the sensation and commit it to permanent memory, he forced his eyes back open.

A few of his men, all lying prone on the ground, looked up at him curiously.

When he spoke, his voice was gritty and raw. His first attempt at speaking resulted in a coughing fit, and he had to swallow against the parchedness in his throat and try again. He inhaled carefully, and then managed in a dry, but commanding tone, "Be ready, boys. The Jedi are on their way."

The effect of his words was electric. He saw a ripple pass through his previously lifeless men. The despair… the certainty they were going to be tortured and killed… was metamorphosized into hope.

Barriss was amazed at how easily she had established a connection to Gree. He was _alive_.

_At least, I know I am not making this mad trek in vain. _

She grimaced as she thought of what her punishment was going to be for going against orders from the Council.

This rescue mission was _not_ authorized.

Their exact wording had been: "Await further instructions."

But, no further instructions had been forthcoming. Barriss had been cut-off from the main force of clones, and had made her way back to their ghostly, silent camp. She was already without her Master, who was off on a separate Mission.

Three days of being told to: "Stand by," and the "Council is occupied with other matters," and "The Council is well-aware of your situation. However, there are critical situations occurring elsewhere. You must be patient."

The padawan had finally reached the limits of her patience. She was not normally impulsive like her friend, Ahsoka. But, ghosts seemed to be calling out to her from everywhere in the huge camp that had previously housed the 41st Elite. So, here she was, setting off across the jungle to raid the enemy encampment.

Alone.

She'd tried to reach the site of the battle to search for survivors, but was immediately cut-off by droid patrols. She'd managed to destroy all of the droids before they could alert any others of her presence. However, after three attempts to reach the battlefield site, she resigned herself to the fact that her best bet to be reunited with the 41st Elite was to go after the prisoners.

During the brief time she'd been connected to Gree, she'd caught a glimpse of what Gree was seeing. She saw his men, stripped of all their gear, and not moving. They were penned up outdoors, and their skin showed signs of severe sun exposure. The healer in her was already forming a plan to treat all of them.

They were still _alive_. Hundreds of them. From a distance, she'd seen the droids taking prisoners, but she didn't know if they'd still be alive after three days of the Council "standing by."

The glimpse through Gree's eyes also gleaned some more useful information. She recognized a distinctive, jagged landmark structure behind them that helped determine their location. She checked her bearings, and hastened her pace.

# # #

Gree heard the sound of blaster fire, and the sound of a lightsaber. The battle droids outside his cage immediately went on alert.

"What's that?" one of the droids asked, turning its silver, snout-like head to the other.

"Why don't you go check it out?" Gree suggested, grabbing on to the bars to pull himself to a standing position.

"There's no talking! And, sit down!" the droid said, waving his blaster at Gree in a wild manner.

_It's a wonder it doesn't drop the thing_, Gree thought, wondering, not for the first time, why they didn't simply build the weapons _into_ the droids. _B-1s,_ the clone shook his head in disgust. _Why did they continue to mass manufacture such obviously inept droids?_ It was almost as if someone wanted the kriffin' war to drag on as long as possible. _However, the nice thing about B-1s, is how gullible they are…_

"It's hard for me to sit. My butt is sunburnt," Gree complained, making a big show of pointing to his damaged posterior, "could I get some salve?"

The droid came closer to examine the area of complaint. Gree obligingly pointed his posterior toward the B-1 to give him the best view possible.

When he got to within arm's reach, Gree whipped around, stuck his arms through the bars of their metal cage, and snapped off the droid's head in one swift movement.

The clone commander hissed as his sunburnt arms came into contact with the hot metal bars of the cage, but he didn't slow his movements. Without even pausing to pull the blaster out of the droid's inert grip, he spun the weapon around and aimed it at the second droid.

_Kriff._

The second droid was already taking aim at him. He fired at the second droid, taking him out a split second before the droid managed to get off a shot at him. The metal bars next to him melted into slag, as Gree dove for the dirt.

All of Gree's men were up on their feet now, ready for action. One of his sharpshooters, Buzz, reacted the fastest. He rolled to his feet and grabbed the second blaster free from the downed droid's grip.

The clone commander had no time to register the discomfort of his severely sunburnt skin colliding with the hard-packed earth. The tactical part of his brain immediately sprang back to life,

fed by adrenaline, and overrode everything else. He no longer felt his thirst, dehydration, exhaustion and battered exterior.

"Down, down!" Gree yelled to his men, as a slew of droids rounded the corner and began sending bright blue bolts in their direction. One of the shots barely missed him, singing right over his head.

_Frak! So much for wanting us alive!_

__His eyes desperately scanned their surroundings, but there was absolutely no cover.

_We're sitting nunas in this cage! _

One of his men cried out, hit in the shoulder with a blaster shot.

Gree continued to pump out return shots, his eyes desperately searching for some kind of way to free them from their cage. But, he knew it was futile. He'd set all of his men to thoroughly searching every meter of their cage when they'd first been imprisoned. The locking mechanism was not to be found. If he had more time, maybe he could use the blaster to try to blast through the bars. But time was not something he had at the moment.

Now that the droids were firing at him, and his men, he had no choice but to try to desperately defend them. They had just two blasters against… how many? More droids came around the corner.

_Kriff. B-1s might be stupid, but amassed in great enough numbers, they could be quite deadly._

Out of the corner of his eye he saw another of his men get hit, but he made no sound as he fell. The shot had caught him directly in the face. Gree continued to squeeze off shot after shot, making sure he took down each droid with a single blast.

_We are not going to last long at this rate!_

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the flash of a lightsaber.

_Jedi! Great timing! _

He expectantly waited for telltale blue blaster fire amongst the flash of the lightsaber, but none was forthcoming.__

_Wait! Where's the rest of our rescue team?_

He sank to one knee, for better balance, and kept up his steady stream of fire. Gree watched the one Jedi that he knew better than any other, Barriss Offee, work her way over to him. She fought magnificently, taking out droids with leaps, spins, dives, and amazing acrobatics that only Jedi could accomplish.

"Commander, look out!" one of his men, he thought it be Morris, gave him a warning yell.

A trio of B-1s had maneuvered in close and was taking aim upon Gree and those directly around him. Gree leapt up, firing a spread of shots as he did so. He managed to hit all three droids, but not before one of them squeezed off a direct shot at him.

He felt something hot, even more fiery than his burning skin, tear into his chest. Gree fell back to the ground, clutching the hole in his stomach.

"The Commander's been hit!" Morris yelled.

Another of his men tried to grab the blaster from his hands. Gree's hands instinctively clutched the blaster.

"It's OK, Commander. It's just me, Cade. You take a rest. I've got this."

Gree blinked up at Cade's familiar face. He nodded, releasing the weapon.

"Where's Bryce?" someone shouted.

"Here!" their company medic belly-crawled to his side, still keeping low to avoid the cross-fire. He pushed Gree's hands away from his stomach wound. "Sir, I need to take a look at this."

Gree just managed to nod as his eyes drifted shut. The sounds of the battle began fading away. Bryce examined the wound, and then looked at the other men gathered around, also on their bellies, low to the ground. He shook his head grimly. They had no medical supplies, and no way to treat his wound.

"Where are those shabla Jedi?" Bryce grumbled, feeling for a pulse at Gree's neck.

"Right here," said a familiar voice, at the door of their cage.

Bryce breathed a sigh of relief, "Commander Offee."

With quick felling downstrokes, Barriss began cutting through the bars of the cage with her lightsaber.

"Commander," Bryce began shaking Gree gently, "Help has arrived. It's the Jedi. Just like you said."

Gree was completely unresponsive. Bryce felt for a pulse at his neck, as the others looked on grimly. He leaned his head down to listen for telltale signs of breathing, while the men looked on in silence. Bryce shook his head sadly, and then lowered his head in grief.

The metallic bar fell to the dirt with a 'clang,' startling the silent clones. Barriss squeezed through the opening, surprised at how grim the men looked, considering they had just been rescued.

"Where's Commander Gree?" she asked, her eyes scanning the hundreds of dark haired men.

The men shook their heads. Barriss felt their emotions; a ripple of dread went through. A number of men were kneeling, clustered around a still form on the ground. Barriss hurried over, recognized Gree's red hair, and then saw how still and unmoving he was.

"No," she breathed the one word in denial, as if she could reverse the awful reality of what had just happened.

Commander Gree was dead.

She was too late.

# # #


	2. Chapter 2

**Naked Clones in the Jungle**

**Part II**

"No!" Barriss cried out again, sinking to her knees. She placed one hand on his bare chest, directly over his heart, and another over his chest wound.

Most of the men just watched her, completely silent. But two of the clones, Tag and Sabre, squeezed out between the hole in the bars, and began gathering up weapons from the downed droids. Arms full, they squeezed back into the enclosure and distributed the weapons amongst their brothers. They worked completely silently, not wanting to disturb whatever it was the Jedi was doing to their fallen Commander.

Barriss closed her eyes and focused.

It was then that she felt it. Faint, but still there.

She moved both hands over the wound now, and focused her energies, deeply and rhythmically. She kept searching deeper and deeper, for that little bit of life force she had felt… the tiny spark trying to draw it out.

"What is she doing?" one of the men whispered.

"Jedi Healing," Bryce responded, then shushed him.

All of the men watched in silence, waiting for their fierce padawan to perform a miracle in front of their eyes.

Gree felt himself drifting further and further away. It felt good to finally rest.

He heard a voice calling out to him. The voice was familiar, and he felt drawn to it. He sensed he'd need to wake up to respond to the voice. Reluctant as he was to give up all this good, comforting sleep, which he felt he'd rightly earned, he couldn't resist the call of that voice.

It was that same cool voice that had called to him earlier… the one that parched his thirst. It was the same voice that always mended his pains each time he was in the infirmary. He instinctively trusted that voice, and moved toward it now. It was the voice of healing, and light. This was a different kind of light than the blinding sun which had cruelly burnt his skin for the past many days. This was the type of light that kept the galaxy from falling into dark days.

Gree's eyes snapped open suddenly, causing the men surrounding him to let out a collective gasp of surprise. The red-haired clone took a deep, shuddering breath, and then began to cough. The action caused his chest to tighten painfully, but he ignored it.

Pushing through his discomfort, he forced himself up on his elbows, "Sitrep?" he demanded. A wave of pain hit him, along with a fit of dry coughing. He clutched an arm over his chest, and groaned.

"Commander, you need to take it easy." 

"Barriss Offee," Gree breathed the words out, as if those two simple words could explain everything. 

He tried to push himself to a sitting position, but only made it hallway. He hissed in pain, his face tightening up.

Barriss was instantly by his side, "You're not fully healed. Go slowly." She took in the state of his skin, and sighed, "And, you have other injuries, as well."

Gree shook his head dismissively, then scanned the area around them, taking in the sight of all the downed droids. He scanned the encampment, looking for signs of fresh enemies approaching. He must have seen something that put him on alert, because he frowned and said: "We need to get out of here."

As he took in the sight of the men arming themselves, he nodded with satisfaction, "Tag, Sabre, good work."

Barriss turned and saw two of the sunburnt clones grinning as they passed the weapons around.

"Aw, you know us heavy infantry guys, sir," said one of the clones, stepping forward and handing one of the blasters to Gree. "Always first ones to the weaponry."

Gree nodded, "Thank you, Sabre." The clone commander automatically went to tuck the blaster into his belt. He glanced down at his bared skin, and then growled out, "Let's get out of here… with our kit, if possible."

Barriss stared out toward the encampment thoughtfully, "I saw what looks like a storeroom on the way in."

"Lead the way," Gree said, gruffly, his voice still hoarse. As he struggled to rise, Tag and Sabre stepped in to help him up. He nodded his thanks.

"Aw, no more heavy than trying to maneuver around an AV-7," commented Tag, cheerfully, as helped the Commander along.

Gree glanced back and forth between the two heavy gunners who were supporting him. Tag and Sabre. Ah, yes. The most cheerful pair of heavy gunners in the entire 41st Elite. The two clones continued to support him as the exited their prison of the past several days.

Barriss led the group, lightsaber in hand, but they met no resistance. She slashed through the lock of what looked to be a storeroom, but found only droid parts. They quickly searched several other rooms, but found no signs of their wayward gear. Their search was cut short by the telltale sound of metallic marching feet.

# # #


	3. Chapter 3

**Naked Clones in the Jungle**

**Part III**

"Time's up!" Gree ordered. "We need to move out! Let's go! Move it! Move it!" He bellowed out the order, then winced, bracing one arm protectively across his chest.

They sprinted for the cover of the jungle and just disappeared into the foliage as a squadron of droids returning from patrol burst forth and entered the encampment.

The 41st Elite took cover behind the trees, and observed the enemy.

"Run, or engage, Commander?" Barriss whispered, standing near him as they watched the droids take in the sorry state of their dispatched metallic brothers.

"Definitely engage, or they'll just be after us in a few minutes," Gree let go of Tag and Sabre. He leaned up against a towering jungle fern, and drew himself into a better position to observe the enemy.

"Take it easy," Barriss chastised, "I just finished getting you back together."

The clone shook his head, "I'm fine. I'll be even better once we get these men safely home." He nodded respectfully to the Jedi padawan, "On your orders, Commander."

Barriss stared toward the camp, "Let's do it."

With a series of hand signals, Gree moved his men into position, and then with one crisp drop of his fist, brought the signal to, "Fire!"

The jungle suddenly lit up with red blasterfire as the stolen weapons fired into the droid encampment. There was a brief spate of return fire, but the droids were sorely outmatched. Within a few minutes, the firefight was over.

"Do we go back in and look for our kit again?" Morriss asked hopefully.

Gree hesitated, for a moment, thinking longingly of his beloved armor. Then, he firmly shook his head, "No, armor can be replaced." He stabbed his finger, and pointed, "But, _you_ can't. Not worth your lives. We need to get out of here before any more patrols show up. Commander Offee, can you take point?"

As the men all rose from their crouched positions, it finally hit Barriss that all of the troopers were _naked._ She'd been so distracted by her worries that she would be too late to rescue her men, and then by what happened to Gree, she'd hadn't thought to look past his bare chest. But, now, as she ran past all of the clones, she was increasingly conscious of how little they were wearing other than a terrible case of sunburn. She was suddenly very glad that she was taking point, because she was not certain she could be in the rear and stare at all of those naked… er, rears.

So, Barriss made her way back across the jungle with an entire squadron of naked, sunburnt troopers.

Once they were a safe distance from the encampment, Barriss called for a rest. She searched the native plants for the one that could provide relief for the troopers, and found it easily. It grew in great abundance on this planet. She grabbed several clumps, and brought it back to where the clones were resting. They looked up at her curiously, as she made her way back into their midst.

"Night Jade," she announced, holding up the plant and cracking open the thick bulbous leaves. A viscous liquid oozed out. She knelt down by the nearest clone, and immediately began rubbing some on his sunburnt face. He sighed in pleasure. She finished with his face, and then handed him the rest of the leaf. She distributed the rest of the plants, then held up the last one for inspection. "The rest of you, look for these. They are easy to find, enough for all of you. Treat yourselves. Cover yourself wherever you can. When we get back, I want to see all of you in the infirmary, but, this should hold you for now."

The clones quickly dispersed, headed off to this plant that would bring some relief to their tortured skin.

She also took the time to check on the other clones who'd been wounded in the initial firefight. Then, Barriss worked her way over to where Gree was resting. His eyes were closed. She cracked open the plant, and started by working the gel into his face. The commander's eyes drifted open sleepily, and he looked up at her in confusion.

"Something for your burns," Barriss said, soothingly, as she continued to work the salve into his skin. She massaged the plant extract in everyplace she could reach, without touching his chest wound, or anyplace too intimate. _Those_ areas would need to be treated as well, but could wait until they were back at the infirmary. Gree watched her through heavily lidded eyes, a sigh of relief occasionally escaping his lips as the heat from his skin began to cool down.

Barriss found herself strangely disappointed when the plant had no more extract to give, and she considered going into the jungle to find more Night Jade. She gazed down at the Commander, and noticed he was watching her intensely. She'd managed to cover almost all of his skin with just the one plant. There probably was no reason to go and search out another. Yet… strangely, there seemed to be something very soothing about applying the lotion into the Commander's skin. She couldn't quite explain it. Maybe it was just the satisfaction that she took in being a Healer. Yes, that must be it. She enjoyed healing people.

Two hours into their trek, strange lightning began to flash across the sky, following by an ominous rolling of thunder.

Heat lighting.

Twenty minutes later, the first tiny droplets of rain began to fall, so light she wasn't sure it was real at first. But, the absolute deluge that followed within minutes could certainly not escape anyone's notice. The dry-packed earth quickly became a sodden, muddy mess.

The troopers slogged through the mud, making their weary way back to the camp of the 41st Elite.

Exhausted as they were, many of the men stumbled into the mud and had to be helped back to their feet by the brothers. The Night Jade plant caused the mud to cling to their skin even more. Many of the clones were completed coated in the thick mud by the time they finally stumbled back into their own camp, hours later.

Even supported as he was by the two heavy gunners, Tag and Sabre, Gree had stumbled and fallen twice. His reddened skin was now almost perfectly covered by a layer of brown. Barriss took over for his exhausted brothers, sliding her own arms underneath Gree and supporting him the resting of the way to prevent him from falling again. He still held up remarkably well, considering he'd been belly shot and pronounced dead earlier in the day.

They finally reached their own silent, abandoned camp around sundown. Despite their hunger and exhaustion, most of the clones headed straight to the showers. They huddled together in groups, helping wash off the thick layers of mud.

Many of the troopers headed to straight to bed, but Barriss saw as many as she could at the infirmary. With the aid of their squad medic, she treated the troopers for dehydration, sunburn and any cuts and abrasions they'd gotten on their feet as a result of the hike across the jungle.

Gree stubbornly wanted to head back to his own tent, saying he was feeling 'fine,' but Barriss wouldn't allow it. She kept a firm grip on his arm, and tugged him along with her to the infirmary.

"I need a shower," the Commander grumbled, staring down at his mud-coated self. He seemed to have long ago forgotten about his lack of clothing.

"There's a refresher in the infirmary," Barriss said, not wavering.

She walked him to the door of the refresher, and then hesitated. "Will you be alright? Do you need help?"

Gree grunted, then made a noise of exasperation, "I'm _fine_, Commander."

Barriss raised up an eyebrow, taking in his sunburnt, mud-covered body in one quick sweeping glance. "Rrright." She tried not to let her gaze linger on certain parts of him where it would be inappropriate to gaze, mud-covered or not. Somehow when it came to Commander Gree, her thoughts seemed to have a way of straying into new and dangerous territories that Barriss was at a loss to explain. The refresher door closed behind her with a soft 'click.'

Barriss went back to assisting the numerous other sunburnt members of the 41st Elite. She was thankful for the help of the medic, Bryce. Freshly showered, the troopers were coming in wearing their fatigues. She had to make them strip down again in order to treat their damaged skin. But, to their relief and hers, the medic had suggested they just strip down to their regulation black boxers. It was somehow easier to treat the clones with at least a little bit of cloth between her and all that raw… maleness. Healer or not, this was a lot to take in during a single day.

Barriss was keeping an ear-pealed to the sounds coming from the refresher, in case Gree called for assistance. So, she easily heard the telltale 'thud' and the muffled cursing that followed. She quickly handed off the tube of salve she was using to the clone she was treating, and rushed into the refresher without knocking.

"Commander! Are you alright?"

Gree was slumped on the floor of the shower, trying to regain his footing. One hand clutched his chest, and he looked up at her with a mixture of pain and annoyance.

"Do I look alright?" he gritted out, as water continued to pelt down on his head.

Barriss noticed he hadn't succeeded in washing all of the mud off. Night Jade was an effective remedy in a pinch, but it could also be used as an adhesive.

"Do you… want help?"

Gree attempted to rise one more time on his own without success, and then gave a resigned nod.

Barriss stripped off her cloak and her shoes, setting them aside, and stepped into the shower in just her undertunic and barefeet. The water had turned tepid and she shivered.

"Plumbing here wasn't exactly designed for long showers," Gree said, wryly as he watched her, "but… it does provide some kind of relief."

The Jedi reached a strong hand down and pulled him up to his feet. He immediately turned so his back was facing her. Barriss put a hand on his skin, and felt the heat coming off of it. She sighed, "We'll treat your skin. The others are all responding well."

Gree twisted his face back so he could see her, and their eyes met under the beading water of the shower, "Thank you for coming for us…. We wouldn't have lasted much longer."

It was strangely intimate, just the two of them, and Barriss wasn't sure what to say. "You would have done the same for me, I'm sure."

Gree studied her for a long moment, watching the water drench her, then he nodded in agreement. "Yes, always."

Barriss had to look away because it was all becoming too much for her. She was afraid if this intensity continued she would do something she regretted… something she could not undo. She reached for the soap, "Let me get the rest of this mud off of you. Night Jade is…. ah… sticky… Hold still."

With incredible gentleness, she set to scrubbing the remainder of the mud off Gree's sun-battered skin. The commander froze up the moment her soapy fingers touched him.

_He must be in considerable pain to react like this_, Barriss thought.

As her soapy fingers scrubbed his back, Gree moaned.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to hurt you. Should I stop?" the Jedi asked, in concern.

Gree shook his head vigorously, and managed to gasp out, "No… ah… Commander. Continue."

_What a brave man_, Barriss sighed. _Willing to put up with so much._

He had a great deal of mud on his legs and feet, so Barriss knelt down and diligently scrubbed the Commander clean. She couldn't reach the front of his legs, which were completely coated in the sticky, goopy mixture. She sighed in exasperation. "If you could turn toward me, please, Commander."

Gree froze, but then with small hesitant steps did as he asked.

Barriss shook her head at his strange behavior, and continued scrubbing away at the persistent goo.

"In a pinch, I've used Night Shade as an adhesive for bandages," Barriss said, as she worked. She chuckled, and wiped some mud off of her thighs.

"Uh," Gree managed in a strangled tone.

Barriss worked at getting the mud off of Gree's calves, rubbing the soap, and then her hands up and down his legs. "Ugggh! This is soooo sticky!"

"Uh… huh…." stuttered out Gree.

As she was rising, she couldn't help but wonder if he needed help cleaning _other_ parts of himself, as well.

Her gaze flew to the area in question, but as if sensing her thoughts, one of Gree's hands dropped down and covered himself.

"I can… ah… get that myself, I think, Commander," Gree said, in a strained tone.

Barriss straightened up, her back somewhat stiff from kneeling. "Alright, then," she said, handing him the soap. She peered at him curiously, noticing his face looked even redder than before. "You're not getting feverish, are you?" She reached a hand to his forehead, but Gree pulled back.

"I'm… _fine_," the red-haired insisted, exasperation beginning to creep into his voice. He flushed an even deeper shade of red, his skin beginning to match his hair. "Could… you… ah… turn around?" He made a turning gesture with his hands.

Barriss shrugged, and did as he asked. She stared at the tiled wall, but somehow found her thoughts immediately wandering to what was happening immediately behind her… namely the fact that Gree was bathing himself… in a most intimate location.

"Kriff."

She heard the clone curse under his breath, and turned to assist but Gree insisted: "I've got this! Just this… Night Shade… makes everything stick…. together." He let out a huff of exasperation, and she heard some more cursing.

"Are you sure I can't assist?" Barriss asked, beginning to turn around.

"No!" Gree insisted. A few minutes later, the clone commander returned the soap to its' holder, saying in a relieved, exhausted tone, "I think that's the last of it."

Barriss nodded, deciding to take his word for it, rather than doing a thorough visual sweep of his person. If she still found some mud clinging to him later, she supposed she could always give him a sponge bath.

Now, why did _that_ visual give her such a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach? Not like she hadn't bathed clones before!

She shook her head at how foolish she was being, and shut the water off with a quick flick of her wrist.

"I'll dry off first, and then help you out," she informed Gree.

"Alright," Gree said, quietly. He was leaning tiredly back against the tiled wall of the shower.

Barriss stepped out, and grabbed one of the standard Army-issue towels sitting on the bench nearby. If she was alone, she would have simply stripped off her undertunic and gone naked under her robe. As it was, she dried off the best she could, and then slipped her robe on over her damp tunic.

Gree tried not to stare. He could see _everything_ through her white undertunic. Did she have no idea how she looked in it?

He hoped not. And, he hoped no other clone ever got to see her in it. Because if they did, he would have to shoot them.

Fully dressed in her usual cloak, she came forward to help him out of the shower. Although, he'd liked it better when she was just wearing the tunic.

He sighed.

"Are you alright, Commander?" Barriss asked, with concern.

_Yeah, just thinking about the shower._

"Fine," he managed to grunt out.

Barriss gave him an exasperated look, "That seems to be your answer for everything."

His lips quirked up into a little smile, and he allowed her to help him to one of the beds in the infirmary. She spent a great deal of time working a soothing salve into his sunburnt skin. He wondered if she'd spent this much time with each one of the troopers. It seemed she went over each patch of his skin at least twice.

He fell asleep just as she was performing a healing session on his chest wound. He tried to stay awake, but exhaustion finally took over.

"Rest now, Commander," Barriss said, soothingly, as his eyelids grew heavy, "I'll be here when you wake up."

# # #

Gree woke up in the middle of the night. At first, he didn't know where he was. He remembered the cage. The merciless sun. Feeling as if he was going to die. He remembered being shot. And, then, strangely enough, he felt as if he _did_ die. His next clear memory is waking up and seeing… Barriss Offee.

He sighed, and shifted to get more comfortable in his infirmary cot.

Barriss Offee. One part healer. One part warrior.

Gree put his hand over his stomach wound. It hardly ached at all anymore. The woman truly was a walking miracle.

He lifted his head up and looked around. He saw a couple of his men, the others who'd been wounded, sleeping in the beds around him. Gree was grateful so many of his men made it back alive.

Gree knew he would have lost many more men if not for Barriss Offee. He let his head fall back down, and closed his eyes.

Even though he shifted around for a while, sleep eluded him. He finally sat up, thinking maybe he could tiptoe quietly back to his own private tent. He often still had nightmares there, but at least he had his reading materials there, and something to pass the time. He was just struggling to his feet, when he was startled by a voice behind him.

"Can't sleep?" asked a pleasantly accented, familiar voice.

Gree had almost forgotten how silently Jedi could move.

"Ah… no," Gree admitted, "So… I thought maybe I'd go back to my own bunk."

"I see," Barriss pursed her lips thoughtfully, and Gree suddenly found himself forgetting his reasons to leave. "I'd like you to stay at least another day."

Normally Gree would argue vehemently about being stuck in the infirmary. But, suddenly he was flooded with memories of being in the shower.

"Alright," he said.

Barriss laid a hand against the back of his arm, "Your skin is heating up again. I'll get more of the salve."

Gree noticed she'd changed into a different set of clothing. Her hair was unbound, for once, and she wore a long-sleeved dark shirt tunic and dark pants. As if on its' own, his hand reached out for her hair.

"You're not wearing your robes," he said, softly, then quickly withdrew his hand. He realized it would not be proper to touch her hair.

Barriss smiled kindly, not at all bothered by his comment or his gesture.

"My clothes were wet," she said, then she blushed, not quite sure why she was slightly embarrassed talking with him about why her clothes were wet. He was there, after all, and knew all about her wet clothing. "This is my only change of clothes."

Gree cocked his head to the side, and studied the outfit, "It suits you."

Barriss flushed, then smiled at the compliment, "Thank you."

The red-haired clone frowned, "Why do you always cover your hair?"

The Jedi sighed, "My Master. She said it is more proper. It is the way she wears her hair."

The clone commander looked puzzled, "Shouldn't you be allowed to choose your own hairstyle?"

Barriss laughed, and shook her head, "I wish it were so."

Gree was genuinely perplexed, "Even clones get to pick their own hairstyles." He reached a hand up to his two red stripes. "But… you don't?"

Barriss shook her head, and then wiped the salve off her fingertips. She gently touched Gree's two shaved strips of hair. "Must be nice to be able to do whatever you want."

The clone snorted, "Only when it comes to hair."

The two laughed, and their eyes met, sharing a genuine connection in that moment. Barriss looked away, and began re-applying salve to Gree.

He sighed as the salve began cooling his skin down again.

"Thank you, Commander," Gree said, "not just for me, but on behalf of all my men, as well. We owe you a great debt."

The Jedi smiled, "I'm glad. Maybe you can put in a good word for me when my Master returns. My rescue mission was not authorized. I can't imagine she'll be pleased with me. But, I can't say I'm sorry for what I did."

Gree stared at her, stunned. "You did all of this, without permission, or authorization?"

Barriss nodded, not quite sure to make of the look in the Commander's eyes. He was staring at her with such intensity now.

Before she could say another word, he had leaned in and his mouth descended upon hers. His lips lifted off, and he gave her a slow, lazy smile.

Barriss stared at him, stunned. One hand going up to her lips, speechless. She blinked at him. Then, she automatically dug her fingers into the salve and began soothing it into his skin again as she stared at him. He obligingly held out his limbs as she worked in the burn cream again.

"Turn around so I can get your back," Barriss mumbled, not quite able to get over _the kiss_.

Gree rolled over onto his back. As Barriss began working the lotion into his back, the commander closed his eyes. Not only did the lotion soothe his sunburnt skin, but just the very act of having the lotion rubbed in felt incredibly pleasant. He hadn't realized how tense his muscles were until Barriss started massaging the knots away. He sighed in pleasure, and despite his best efforts, he fell back asleep again. As he was drifting off to sleep, he wondered if he should worry that he was the only one doing the kissing. But, exhaustion took over and he decided he would figure the matter out in the morning.

In the morning, he tried to sneak back to his bunk, mainly out of habit, since he always tried to get out of the infirmary early. But, it was a half-hearted attempt, at best. Barriss easily caught him, and sent him back to his bed.

"Just one more day, Commander," she said. "I know how much you hate to miss work, but your chest isn't healed yet. Rest some more, OK? I'll bring you some breakfast."

True to her word, Barriss brought him a heaping plate of eggs and nerf strips, and updated him on the efforts to get the camp back in order. Gree tried to listen attentively, but somehow his mind kept drifting back to 'shower' and how Barriss looked when soaking wet. He sighed and stabbed at his nerf steaks.

# # #

Two days later, a hazy, static-filled transmission finally came through from the Jedi Council. Barriss received word that a rescue mission had finally been authorized, and reinforcements were on their way. Her Master would be coming in with the 'rescue team.'

Before she could update the Council on her status, communications were lost again.

She threw her hands up in frustration, and went to update Commander Gree on the situation. She hadn't seen him much since he'd been released from the infirmary. He'd thrown himself into setting up a defensible perimeter around the camp, in the event the remaining droid forces on the planet decided to attack.

While she didn't relish facing her Master, the reinforcements were sorely needed. It was only a matter of time before the Separatists attacked again. They couldn't hold the planet with the numbers they had now. She went to find Gree to share the good news.

She found the Commander in his tent, dressed in his fatigues, going over defensive strategies with his second-in-command. When Barriss entered, he dismissed his second, and beckoned for her to enter.

"Can I help you, Commander Offee?"

Barriss looked around his tent, at the reading materials that lay stacked up near his cot. Gree flushed, and immediately began straightening up.

"No, leave it," Barriss said, staying his hand.

Gree froze when her hand touched his, and sucked in his breath. Their eyes met and locked. He straightened up, "Commander?"

Barriss nodded, "A transmission came through. Finally."

Gree's eyebrows rose in interest, but he remained quiet, patiently waiting for her to continue.

The Jedi couldn't help a nervous, sarcastic laugh, "The long awaited rescue mission. It will be here in two days."

Gree's eyes widened, "Two days? We all would have been dead. There would have been nothing for them to rescue!" His voice rose with indignation, and then quieted, "If not for you."

Barriss gave a quiet, serene bow acknowledging, "Well, that's not all. My Master is leading this 'rescue mission.'

Gree studied the Jedi padawan carefully, "You're worried." His words were a statement, not a question.

Barriss nodded, "Yes. She will be angry when she finds out I disobeyed orders."

The clone commander looked thoughtful, and then frowned, "If not for you, the entire 41st Elite would be no more."

"I still broke the rules," Barriss said quietly.

"To hell with those rules!" Gree shouted angrily, and then hung his head down. "I apologize for my outburst, Commander. I had no right to speak that way."

Barriss' face was turned down and away from him and he could not see her expression. He sighed, and decided to try again with an apology, but the Jedi padawan stopped him with a finger on his lips. "No need to apologize." Her eyes turned thoughtful, "I believe you are correct about the rules. And, we have two days. How about we make the most of it?"

"Commander?" Gree looked at the Jedi padawan in confusion.

Barriss reached into her belt pouch and pulled out a container of healing salve. "How about I apply this all over your back?"

The clone commander looked at her in confusion for a moment, "My back? It's fine. Why would I-" Understanding suddenly dawned and Gree's eyes grew huge. His mouth widened and he gasped. "Oh." He drew his shirt over his head and dropped it to the floor.

# # #


End file.
